Some vehicles include a torque limiter device disposed between an engine and a transmission. The torque limiter device is configured to limit torque to be transmitted thereto for preventing elements (e.g., the transmission) from being damaged or broken due to excessive torque from the engine. For example, the torque limiter device is structured as follows. At least a friction facing is interposed and held between a pair of plates with a predetermined force. Further, the input side of the torque limiter device is coupled to engine-side members (e.g., a flywheel) whereas the output side thereof is coupled to transmission-side members (e.g., an input shaft).
The torque limiter device of the above type includes a drive plate, a transmission torque limiting part, a driven member and a damper mechanism (see e.g., Patent Literature 1). The drive plate includes a friction coupling portion in the outer periphery thereof. The transmission torque limiting part is configured to interpose and hold the friction coupling portion of the drive plate between a pair of plates with a predetermined force. The driven member is coupled to the input shaft of the transmission. The damper mechanism is disposed among the above elements.
In the torque limiter device, engine torque is transmitted from the flywheel to the drive plate via the friction coupling portion, and is further transmitted to the driven-side members and the input shaft of the transmission via the damper mechanism. When the engine torque becomes greater than a predetermined torque, slippage occurs between the friction coupling portion and the plates. Therefore, torque is prevented from being transmitted to the transmission when exceeding the limitation imposed by the transmission torque limiting part. It is thereby possible to prevent the transmission from being damaged or broken due to excessive torque.
Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2003-013992 (PTL1: Patent Literature 1) is an example of the related art.